Versions/EX1-464793

Update Information


Hi friends!

This update to the testing branch brings increased resource renewability with the introduction of Space Points-Of-Interest! Equip a rocket with the new Drillcone and start dredging those interplanetary riches! This system is still pretty raw though, with lots of balance and UI changes coming. Let us know how it's working for you so far!

We've also started putting artifacts back into the game, along with a number of new and updated points-of-interest to host them. And once you're done gathering them, you can teach your Duplicants the "Demolition" Skill and wipe those Gravitas buildings off the map (if you feel so inclined).

(Please note that both these features require regenerating the world, and both are subject to more tuning, so if you're not comfortable with re-restarting, it's probably best to wait for a few more patches before starting a new game.)

We're doing a rebalance of the tech tree, with two major parts. First, we'd always intended that the new research points were "Generic", but the Atomic Collider and Atomic Research Points made it seem overly specific. These are being rebranded as the Materials Study Terminal and Materials Science Research to make this more clear. Secondly, we're shifting around techs and costs (including moving all Orbital Research costs up one tier) to reduce the burden on unlocking tier 5 techs. We're still investigating further to try and balance the integration of the new mechanics nicely into existing gameplay.

We've made changes to the Radbolt Generators and overall radiation balance. There is increased control over Diagnostics criteria on the Diagnostics screen. Biome Codex entries have been finished up. And, be aware of some changes to bottled gasses and liquids: they can now liquefy/solidify if they get cold enough!

There's still more tuning and polish to come, but thanks in advance for checking out the test branch and letting us know how these changes are working out. And as always, please let us know if you find any bugs!

What does this testing branch contain so far?
Here are the changes we've made so far in this update, loosely categorized:

Features

 * Added space POI locations with renewable resources
 * Added Drillcone rocket module for harvesting space POIs
 * Restored artifacts to Spaced Out! and distributed them to new terrestrial POIs
 * Added ability to toggle specific diagnostic criteria in the diagnostics screen

Changes and Improvements

 * Bottled Gasses and Liquids can now condense/freeze
 * Ores and Bottles will now produce secondary elements during phase transitions, e.g. Bottles of polluted water will make both dirt and steam when heated
 * Replaced Atomic Collider with Material Study Terminal
 * Radbolt generators can be configured to emit at up to 500 particle intervals
 * Radbolt tuning changes to prevent obvious feedback loops. Some radiation is emitted in the form of fallout on impacts.
 * Tech tree changes including adding new categories, moving buildings, and adjusting tier costs so they scale better
 * Many POI buildings are now demolishable by skilled Duplicants
 * Added rocket engine shutoff animations
 * Asteroid selector rows display a status item based on diagnostics
 * Tweaked the meter colours on some storage buildings to work when colourblind modes are turn on or off
 * Rocket takeoff speed is now based on height rather than module count. Also re-tuned the takeoff acceleration curves.
 * Updated codex strings from several Biomes
 * Updated Korean and Russian translations
 * Additional codex lore entries
 * Tuned Rocket Conduit Port audio mix, adjust timing of sound events
 * Fixed missing Beetiny hit sound
 * Fixed missing Beeta chew sound

Bugfixes

 * Rocket window tiles are no longer replaceable
 * Improvements to rules for generating Classic Style Terra to reduce worldgen failures
 * Fixed main menu animation issue
 * Fixed crash that could occur on rocket launch
 * Fix issue where rockets loaded in the takeoff or landing states would not animate their engines or release exhaust
 * Fixed a couple glitches with rockets taking off/landing and skipping around or disappearing.
 * Fixed issue preventing codex from showing accurate plant and critter references in some biome pages
 * Radbolt generator progress meter hookup. Restored orb animation playback when more than 1/2 way to launch
 * Fixed status pop text effects being visible across world boundaries
 * Fixed UI elements and overlay info being displayed across world boundaries
 * Sublimation Station no longer ignores gas pressure limit if a solid tile is built above it
 * Diagnostic rows update when changing worlds with the screen open
 * Fixed issue sometimes causing erroneous diagnostic results
 * Duress to Impress effect is now applied when loading a save with an already stressed Duplicant

What is open testing?
"Open testing" means players get to test-drive new content early and give us feedback and suggestions before it goes live. Because this is an unfinished and in active development version of the game, it's pretty likely you'll encounter bugs, crashes or balance issues while playing these builds. We'll try to fix any problems that crop up as quickly as we can, but it's possible you'll lose progress in your games while playing on the Testing branch.

Regarding performance, the Testing branch has additional debugging tools enabled to help us track down crashes. This makes the game run more slowly than the live version of the game.

Please also be aware that once a save is loaded in the Testing branch, it cannot be reopened again in the previous Live branch or previous builds.

What do I do if I find a crash or a bug?
Post it up on the Bug Tracker and we'll fix it as soon as we can. If you can attach a copy of your save file to your report, that helps us even more as we can pinpoint the source of problem more quickly.

Do I have to play the open testing build?
Nope! If you'd prefer to only play a stable build, you can continue to play in the current Default branch until the game launches in full. Playing the Open Testing build isn't necessary, but it helps us a lot to receive your feedback and reports - if you're interested, try it out!

How do I become an open tester?
There's no sign up or registration for becoming an open tester. If you own Oxygen Not Included plus the Spaced Out! DLC and want to join the Testing Branch, all you have to do is play the Open Testing build on Steam.

How do I play the open testing build?
You can switch your branch on Steam using the instructions below:

How to change branches in Oxygen Not Included (Steam)

 * You must own the Spaced Out! DLC
 * In Steam, click on Library > Games.
 * Scroll down to Oxygen Not Included.
 * Right-click and select Properties.
 * Go to the BETAS tab.
 * In the dropdown, select the name of the branch you want to play. In this case, the branch name is "public_testing"
 * This branch does not require a password.
 * In that same Properties window, go to the Local Files tab and press "Verify Integrity Of Game Cache."
 * Your game will be updated to the the previous branch.
 * Launch and play Oxygen Not Included